New website! Most of my work will end up there from now. Want to see what happens when “missing” posters are spread around town for a goldfish? Yes? I think you have a good idea of where to look. Check it. Share it. Throw it across the room. Do whatever you feel the need to do. Link below.
www.edfairburn.com
A delivery address hides within a 626 point dot-to-dot puzzle, which when solved completes the composition as well as pointing the postman in the right direction. Ink, watercolour and collage on a heavyweight handmade envelope.
Here’s one I made earlier. A Rubik’s Cube (which I bought, £4.99, bargain) covered in trimmed British postal stamps, different denominations to correspond with the six different colours on the cube.
After writing the address in a spread-out fashion (covering several sides), I screwed the puzzle up and threw it in the postbox (one of those shaft-based parcel boxes)
I can honestly say that I’m not expecting it to reach it’s destination by tomorrow lunchtime.
I’ve developed a habit of carrying post-it notes and a pen around with me. My creative mind is at it’s peak in the evenings, so I scribble down any ideas or notions I get, then the following morning review them with fresh eyes. Here’s one transition from note to envelope:
I can’t help but wonder where this would end up if I actually posted it. Gouache with inked details.
An envelope made using watercolour, pencil, inks, spray paint… and plenty of stamps. The naked figures were kindly drawn by fellow illustrator Naomi Hermitage (http://ompom.wordpress.com/)
Quick post to share this glimpse of my (usually private) sketchbook. The blueish triptych of the woman in the desert is taken from Thievery Corporation’s “Sweet Tides” music video. Give it a watch. It’s a beautifully nostalgic piece of film to accompany a beautifully nostalgic song.
“I still believe in paradise. But now I know it’s not someplace you can look for, because it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something, and if you find that moment… it lasts forever”
“She is not a mind-blowing narcotic. She is a blonde girl from Lebanon. She has secrets. A sense of desperation, an inability to bottle her emotions.”
Continuing with the habit of posting my work (usually to myself), this is envelope number one of three, not yet finished. The three envelopes, when placed together, will form a triptych showing my interpretation of Thievery Corporation’s Lebanese Blonde. Made using a mess of pencil, watercolour, a sizeable chunk of Michael Palin’s Himalaya book sleeve, 23 carat gold and 20 British first class postage stamps.
The lower half should be finished within the next day or two…
It’s now 2011, but my habit of adding postage stamps to my work remains. Although, if I’d wanted to give anything up for the new year, it would have been smoking, not serially posting my drawings and paintings. Shortly before the Christmas break, I remember discussing how odd it will become, once this project is over, of not sending my work through the postal system. In short, one response to my remark was simply, “you may just become the guy that does mail art.”
I like the idea of that.
Despite not having a working doorbell, I’m patiently waiting for a delivery to arrive. I’ve ordered some 23 carat gold leaf for gilding, along with a bottle of binder (glue). I’ve noticed that as my work is taking on a more de-constructive appearance, it’s becoming layered and built-up. I find that I’m now combining areas of finer detail with slap-dash backgrounds and sloppy acrylic washes. This aesthetic mess makes a great base for gilding, as well as adding texture to my work – something that I’ve always wanted but never done anything about.
As well as purchasing gilding materials, I’ve also liberated the family stamp collection (yes, we do have one)… it’s fantastic! My desk drawers now house several A4 envelopes, each one stuffed to the brim with old, new, international, national, rare, quirky, mint and used stamps, plus everything in between. It took me the best part of Christmas Day to sift through the albums and claim my favourites (shortly before falling victim to the annual Christmas food-induced coma). Many of the British stamps, despite being decades old, are in mint condition. It’ll be interesting to see if Royal Mail still process and accept them.
Lastly… a big thanks to Nicole Miles and ultimately, my lecturers, for sharing and posting the following opportunity. It’s just too good to miss.
http://illustrationcardiff.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/cut-click-mail-art-exhibition-opportunity/
